Bold in the Cold!

After a hint of success last weekend, I am utterly amazed by my performance this weekend! A frigid cold blast brought below-freezing temps and a dusting of snow during the weekend, and made for some wintery, bundle-up, tough-out-the-conditions riding.

Interlocken was a site of Boulder CX #2, and despite the freezing weather, a good crowd of competitors showed up.
Chris' race went off just before mine, and albeit an abbreviated warm-up Chris was rarin' to go - bare legs and all!I also had a brief 15 min warm-up, and while my core body temp was well into sweating, my feet were gradually freezing.The course provided an extra challenge with slow, soggy grass, and energy-sucking sand sections.
I felt strong, yet tired, just trying to mitigate the effects of the cold, and to my surprise, I nearly bridged my way to the leader! I finished 2nd overall!!! My best finish ever and right behind last year's state champion! I even got a little press! Click hereIt only took 20 min for the feeling to return to my feet, but I was more than happy with my day! Well, I have just one race left, before I head out of state for PT for 2 months. I can't help but think how well I will do next year when I actually have time to train and pour my efforts into racing!

Confidence = Motivation!

It's been a busy week... finished up my last academic classes and finals!! Now, it's on to my PT clinical rotations for the remainder of the year... woo hoo!

In the midst of so much stress and studying last week, I needed a break to exercise my competitive spirit. Saturday's Frisco CX #1 provided just the venue for hypoxic fun. The day was beautiful, beer was on tap, brats were smoking on the grill, and the always-challenging Frisco course added to spectator excitement and an all-around cyclocross delight!

I was stoked to be riding my new carbon wheels and TRP magnesium brakes... they are sweet!
My race took off fast and furious with an uphill sprint, and after a week of stress and sleepless nights I was unsure how strongly my legs would respond on the power-heavy course.
I hung in and gradually moved up during the race, all the while still thinking I was mid-pack.
Only on the last lap did I find out I was in 4th place! I bridged the gap to 2nd and 3rd (2 well-known pros), and surged into 3rd. I was right on 2nd, but also knew I was being hunted from behind. Just when my opportunity emerged to make my move before the final set of barriers, I was rudely squeezed out by a 45+ guy who didn't want to be "chicked," and the gap closed. The girl behind me flew around the outside as I panicked, backpedaled, swung to the outside and sprinted in desperation of still getting 3rd. Oh so close! I lost 3rd at the line by about 2 feet, and 2nd by about 2 bike lengths! While I was definitely bummed to get shut out of a podium, it was my best 'cross finish ever and a big confidence booster!The day warmed up to pleasant short-sleeve weather by the time Chris' race took off in the afternoon.Chris was among a large 56 person field in his category.
He looked strong and very technically efficient, even while other guys were crashing around him!Looking forward to racing this weekend... there's a storm moving in to give us some real 'cross weather... nasty and cold, I can't wait!

CO Trail Attempt #2

Well, long story short, Mother Nature proved spiteful again! After nearly getting struck by lightening on the Colorado Trail back on July 3rd, Chris and I decided to tackle the beast again on Sunday, hoping this time to complete the entire loop. Holly joined us for the long ride, which once again proved to be an epic!

The weather was partly sunny and pleasant as we crested up to Searle Pass.
Looking east the clouds were still high enough, and we only got a little hail between Searle Pass and Kokomo Pass.
Atop Kokomo Pass, it was sunny!
We loaded on the clothes for the awesome 3,000 ft descent.
Unfortunately, the clouds were descending faster.The aspens were beautiful, but it was pouring rain... and COLD!!We pedaled hard for a while and kept fairly warm, until ascending toward Ptarmigan Pass the clouds enveloped us and the snow blanketed down.It was near hypothermia at this point, and the fun of the ride was long gone. An elk hunter named Bill offered us a ride back to Red Cliff, and we were more than happy to oblige!
Of course once we reached the cover of safety, Mother Nature pulled another trick out of her bag and brought the sun out! We made it 25 miles and about 3/4 of the way around the loop this time before abandoning... and I am even more determined to do this ride! Next year!

'Cross Season is Here!

Saturday, we partook in our first cyclocross race of the season, at GMS CX #1 in Golden. The atmosphere was warm and festive... burgers grilling, fans cheering, and racers getting their first taste of lactic acid delight!

Chris lined up for just his 2nd 'cross race ever!Chris was a natural on the dismounts and barriers, passing several people each lap.
Chris rode very strong and finished a respectable 35th out of 66 in his field!My race followed next... lining up next to National champ and World bronze medalist, Katie Compton. She has a rad bike, and she's pretty cool herself!My skills weren't too rusty after a year, and the barriers came with ease.
I paced myself well on the dusty, technical course, and finished an honorable 5th place out of 21!Green Mountain Sports did a super job on not only setting up a fun and challenging course, but running a tight ship, with everything on time and smooth all day! 'Cross gets my adrenalin going like nothing else... I can't wait for the next race!

Lucky Number 7

The season wrapped up at last weekend's Fall Classic in Breckenridge. COMotion Sports has dominated the endurance team ranks all season, and while we had our 7th consecutive team title in the bag, many racers still showed up to race the finale.

Chris strapped on an extra pair of lungs, and let it all hang out in the weekend's endurance trifecta: circuit race, hill climb, and cross country races. He solidly accomplished his goal of racing every venue this year, and without further injury!! Great job Chris!A second place overall in the series capped off a great season for Chris!

I was MIA during the weekend, due to increasing workload and priorities at school, but still managed to pull off a 3rd place overall in my category!
A coordinated team effort throughout the year pulled in an unprecedented 7th MSC team endurance title! Great job to everyone! What a fantastic close to the mountain biking season!

Super-D!!!!

The season is quickly coming to a close, and Chris has nearly completed his goal of racing every MSC race this year! That's 10 races this year... only missing the Rabbit Valley TT due to a nasty spring snowstorm. Chris decided to keep his streak alive and secure his spot on the overall podium by racing the XC at Sol Vista.
After my killer weekend at the Copper Cup, I decided to end my XC campaign for the year, and just race the Super-D at Sol Vista for fun! I was more than happy to just hike around the mountain taking pictures of Chris! He did great in his race, and while keeping a relaxed attitude, had lots of fun!
It was COMotion's annual team and sponsor BBQ... there was lots of good grub, recovery beverages, and great times!The next morning, Bubba and I headed up the mountain for a few warm-up runs for the Super-D. Chris let me ride his Yeti 575- it is definitely the perfect bike for Super-D... burly, but lightweight.It was quite a change sprinting downhill, rather than grinding uphill! (Although a bit more dangerous for me, as I crashed several times in the warm-ups... good thing nothing worse than bruises though!) The race began with a LeMans start, and it was just us 2 girls... I had a 50/50 chance of winning!
I cruised the first half of the race, before pinning it on the slight uphill portion, and sealing the deal.My first Super-D, and I won! What an adrenalin rush! It was a blast! Next year I'm getting my own Yeti 575, and definitely making Super-D part of my race plans!